Luck Be A Packer Fan (And A Lady) Tonight » Brats & Beer

December 31, 2006
posted under: effin Bears, Packers, Pre-game

According to the Wikipedia, bears evolved from a dog-sized raccoon-like creature called Cephalogale and are part of the same family of mammals as weasles. I believe that goes for Bears fans as well.

So here it is, the last day of 2006 and the end of the regular season. There is a part of me that is glad to finally have it over, but there is another part that thinks if the Packers had a few more games left on the schedule they could do something really special with this season. There were a lot of games they could have — should have — won, specifically against the Rams, the Bills, and the Seahawks, so we could be talking about a 10-5 wild card team instead of a 7-8 hopeful.

Speaking of hope, those stupid Giants had to go and pull one out of their ass last night and in the process really screwed Green Bay’s chances for a playoff berth. According to the official NFL playoff scenarios, not only do the Packers have to win tonight in Chicago, but all of the following needs to happen for the Packers to win the strength of victory tiebreaker with New York: Arizona, Detroit, Miami, and San Francisco all need to win, while Carolina, Houston, and Tampa Bay all have to lose. Do you believe in Christmas miracles after Christmas?

Of course the big thing here is that the Packers have to beat the Bears. On the road. On national TV. That in itself is a pretty tall order for this team. But even without all that other stuff happening in the playoff hunt, it would still be a pretty successful season if the Packers could go into Flying Saucer Soldier Field and beat the Bears, finishing with a 5-1 mark in the division.

Even if the Packers should stumble and fall to the Chicago Weasels tonight, this still has been a pretty decent campaign for a team of rookies led by a first-year head coach. And even more good things are on the horizon: A couple top draft picks and a free agent or two and Green Bay should be back in the top tier of NFC playoff teams. Brett Favre should get another shot or two at a Super Bowl, I think, before he retires in 2008.